AU2021100117A4

AU2021100117A4 - Ankle band for identifying nearest obstacles

Info

Publication number: AU2021100117A4
Application number: AU2021100117A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Amit Kumar Agarwal; Dimple Chawla; Rajeshkumar Girishkumar Maheta; Adhya Trivedi; Munesh Chandra Trivedi; Soumya Trivedi; Vedansh Trivedi
Original assignee: Agarwal Amit Kumar Dr; Chawla Dimple Ms; Maheta Rajeshkumar Girishkumar Dr; Trivedi Adhya Ms; Trivedi Soumya Ms
Current assignee: Agarwal Amit Kumar Dr; Chawla Dimple Ms; Maheta Rajeshkumar Girishkumar Dr; Trivedi Adhya Ms; Trivedi Soumya Ms
Priority date: 2021-01-09
Filing date: 2021-01-09
Publication date: 2021-04-08
Anticipated expiration: 2029-01-09

Abstract

Title: ANKLE BAND FOR IDENTIFYING NEAREST OBSTACLES ABSTRACT The invention relates to a smart ankle band 100 for a user comprising a plurality of ultrasonic obstacle detecting sensors 101, a vibrator 102, a speaker/audio output 103, a Bluetooth wireless transmitter 104, a GPS sensor 105, a plurality of electronic components 107, rechargeable batteries 109, a socket for charging battery 106, and a switch 108. The user comprises a visually impaired person, a deaf-blind person, a mountaineer, and a sport person. The ultrasonic obstacle detecting sensors are suitable for close range detection up to ten meters and provide multiple range measurements per second. (( 0 j, D D

Description

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Atty. doc. No.AMITKOO1-AUS-2020

IN THE AUSTRALIAN PATENT OFFICE APPLICATION FOR AN INNOVATION PATENT APPLICATION

FOR Title: ANKLE BAND FOR IDENTIFYING NEAREST OBSTACLES

Applicants: Name: Dr. Munesh Chandra Trivedi Address: Department of Computer Science & Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Agartala, P.O.: NIT Agartala, Barjala, Jirania - 799046, TRIPURA (W), India Name: Dr. Amit Kumar Agarwal Address: Department of Computer Science & Engineering, ABES Engineering College, Campus -1, 19th KM Stone, NH-24, Ghaziabad - 201009, UP, India Name: Ms. Dimple Chawla Address: Vivekananda Institute of Professional Studies, Outer Ring Rd, AU Block, Ranikhet, Pitam Pura, New Delhi, Delhi 110034, India Name: Dr. Rajeshkumar Girishkumar Maheta Address: Shree Ram Society, Near Aradhana High school, Jawanpura Idar, Gujrat Name: Ms. Soumya Trivedi Address: 1/1189, Chiranjeev Vihar, Ghaziabad, UP-201002, India Name: Ms. Adhya Trivedi Address: 1/1189, Chiranjeev Vihar, Ghaziabad, UP-201002, India Name: Mr. Vedansh Trivedi Address: 1/1189, Chiranjeev Vihar, Ghaziabad, UP-201002, India

Inventors: Dr. Munesh Chandra Trivedi Dr. Amit Kumar Agarwal Ms. Dimple Chawla Dr RajeshKumar Girish Kumar Maheta Ms. Soumya Trivedi Ms. Adhya Trivedi Mr. Vedansh Trivedi

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Atty. doc. No.AMITKOO1-AUS-2020

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to the field of smart ankle band for the visually impaired person or for deaf-blind persons. The invention, particularly relates to a smart ankle band 100 for a user for detecting obstacles and information related to the surroundings.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The visually impaired form an integral part of our society. The National Census of India has estimated around 21.9 Million disabled people in the country. Out of them, more than 15 million people in India are blind. This is the highest among all other disabilities. Three out of every five disabled children in the age group of 0-9 years, have been reported to be visually impaired in India. Due to their disability, visually impaired people face difficulties in gaining full advantage of computers. With the rapid evolution of technology, researchers have proposed to give the blind an ability to take advantage of these advancements. Accordingly, designers and engineers have started working on projects that relate input and output devices to computers for the visually challenged individual to have full control of the machines.

According to W.H.O (World Health Organization), there are approximately 285 million people who are visually impaired out of which 39 million are blind and 246 million have low vision. About 90% of the world's visually impaired have low income. There is a constant need of an assistive device for them. There is a broad range of navigation system and ETA's are available for visually impaired individuals. White cane and Guide Dogs are the primary tools preferred by a visually impaired person. But they have some limitations, For example- Guide Dogs are not allowed in some places. White canes have a shorter range. They cannot detect obstacle above ground level such as tree branches or open window etc (Ref. Title: "Smartphone-based Obstacle Detection for Visually Impaired People" - 2017 International Conference on Innovations in Information, Embedded and Communication Systems (ICIIECS)).

A number of different type of the devices and methods for visually impaired persons to detect obstacles are available in the prior art. For example, the following patents are provided for their supportive teachings and are all incorporated by reference: A prior art document, RU2318481 discloses a device can be used by blind patients for orientation in surrounding area. Device for detecting obstacles has locator connected in series with data

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processing unit and signal unit, and obstacles detection limited range switch. Output of switch is connected with first control input of data processing unit. Switch for selection of indication of closet or most distance of detected obstacles is introduced additionally. Output of indication selection switch is connected with second control input of data processing unit.

Another prior art document, EP2490155 discloses a visual assistance device wearable by a person. The device includes a camera (12) and a processor (16). The processor (16) captures multiple image frames (14) from the camera (12). A candidate image (527) of an object is searched in the image frames (14). The candidate image (527) may be classified as an image of a particular object or in a particular class of objects and is thereby recognized. The person is notified of an attribute related to the object.

Yet another prior art document, CN103750985 discloses a blind-guide shoe applied to walking guiding for the blind. The blind-guide shoe is characterized by comprising a man machine talkback prompting system, a button type vision sensing system, a button type distance sensing system and a GPS navigation system all of which are independently connected with a data processor and achieve bidirectional data transmission with the data processor.

Yet another prior art document, US20150254943 discloses a multisensor system for the blind includes a cane, a boot, a headband, and a central control device. The cane, the boot, and the headband may each include one or more sensors to detect obstructions in the path of the user. Each sensor may be configured to detect obstructions at a level corresponding generally to an elevation at which it is carried on the user. Once an obstruction is detected, the sensors may transmit signals to the central control device. The central control device may process the signals and activate an appropriate auditory device to alert the user of the presence and/or distance of the obstruction.

Yet another prior art document, EP0749744 discloses a guiding device for a blind person is built in two parts. One part includes a receiver and a transmitter. The second part includes a microprocessor for processing the signals from the receiver. The second part of the guide also includes a mechanical signal generator a current supply and a charger. The second part can be held in the blind person's breast pocket. The first part includes the current supply, batteries and charging circuit. The transmitter emits e.g. ultrasound waves which are

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reflected by an obstacle, e.g. a door. The reflected signal warns the user about the presence of an obstacle.

Yet another prior art document, W02016086440 discloses a wearable guiding device for the blind. The device comprises: plural components arranged and connected to a system, and a headset eyewear holder facilitating wearing by a user; a sensor for detecting a surrounding; an image gathering device for recording surrounding images; a voice module for voice interaction; an information outputting device for alerting related information to a wearer; and a data processing center for overall control of the system. The system described can acquire an actual scene omni directionally and in real time, detect a surroundings omni directionally via the sensor, and transmit analyzed data to a remote monitoring device via wireless transmission, thus realizing guiding for a blind person and remote monitoring.

However, above mentioned references and many other similar references has one or more of the following shortcomings: (a) a complex design; (b) a device comprising many sensors; (c) a device only detecting; (d) an expensive device; and (e) a device mounted on the head which is not comfortable for the blind person.

The present application addresses the above-mentioned concerns and shortcomings (and other similar concems/shortcomings) with regard to providing a wearable device for recognizing the object or obstacles for the visually impaired persons or sports persons.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:

In the view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of devices and methods for detecting obstacles to visually impaired persons or sport persons now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved wearable device for visually impaired persons; for deaf-blind persons; or for sport persons. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved wearable device for visually impaired persons; for deaf-blind persons; or for sport persons which has all the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a smart ankle band 100 for a user comprising a plurality of ultrasonic obstacle detecting sensors 101, a vibrator 102, speaker/audio output 103, a Bluetooth wireless transmitter 104, a GPS sensor 105, a

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plurality of electronic components 107, a rechargeable batteries 109, a socket for charging battery 106, and a switch 108. The smart ankle band of the present invention includes the ultrasonic obstacle detecting sensors 101, which are placed on the smart ankle band 100 in such a way that it should cover the almost 360 degree view of the surroundings. The ultrasonic obstacle detecting sensors are also capable of analyzing the depth and pits of the obstacle. The ultrasonic obstacle detecting sensors are suitable for close range detection up to ten meters and provide multiple range measurements per second. The user can be a visually impaired person, a deaf-blind person, a mountaineer, and a sport person.

In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 depicts an exemplary a smart ankle device according to one of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be

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understood that the embodiments may be combined, or that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural and logical changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

References will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Before describing the detailed embodiments that are in accordance with the present disclosure, it should be observed that the embodiments reside primarily in combinations arrangement of the device according to an embodiment herein and as exemplified in FIG. 1.

In the following description, for the purpose of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the arrangement of the system according to an embodiment herein. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that the present embodiment can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, structures are shown in block diagram form only in order to avoid obscuring the present invention.

About 90% of the world's visually impaired live in low-income settings and 82% of people living with blindness are aged 50 and above. Generally, these individuals are facing important difficulties with independent mobility that relates to sensing the near field environment, including obstacles and potential paths in the vicinity, for the purpose of moving through it. The recent advances of computer science now allow the development of innovative solutions to assist visually impaired people. Various types of assistive devices have been developed to provide blind users means of learning or getting to know the environment. Travel activity, even a simple one, consists a long list of travel subtasks. There are two main categories of the subtasks in travel activity that are mobility and environmental access. Mobility itself can be divided in obstacle avoidance and orientation/navigation, while environment access consists of hazard minimization and information/sign. Most of subtasks in travel activity are based on the vision information. For this, sighted people mainly rely on their sense of sight. Visually impaired are only able to use their sense of sight to a limited extent or possibly not at all. Therefore, visually impaired people require support from assistive technology to carry out different travel activity subtasks. In our work, we focus on developing assistive technology for obstacle avoidance for visually impaired people, because it has always been considered a primary

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requirement for aided mobility. Obstacle avoidance technology needs to address two issues: obstacle detection and obstacle warning. The obstacle detection means the perception of potentially hazardous objects in the environment ahead of time, while the latter one concerns the manner to convey obstacle information to the visually impaired people. White cane can be considered as the first obstacle avoidance assistive tool. However, this tool is generally not used to detect obstacles above knee height. Recently, the advance in sensor technology makes a number of obstacle avoidance technologies available for visually impaired people. The present invention provides a novel and improved smart ankle device which is capable of detecting obstacles. The present invention can also be used by different type of the user, such as visually impaired person, blind person, and sport person. Mountaineering is the set of activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing and bouldering are also considered mountaineering by some. The mountaineer or climber should also know upfront in case if they are going to face any major or minor obstacles.

The smart ankle device of the present invention comprises a plurality of ultrasonic detection sensors. As the name indicates, ultrasonic sensors measure distance by using ultrasonic waves. The sensor head emits an ultrasonic wave and receives the wave reflected back from the target. Ultrasonic Sensors measure the distance to the target by measuring the time between the emission and reception.

Ultrasonic Sensors are best used in the non-contact detection of:

• Presence

• Level

• Position

• Distance

Ultrasonic are Independent of:

• Light

• Smoke

• Dust

• Color

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• Material (except for soft surfaces, i.e. wool, because the surface absorbs the ultrasonic sound wave and doesn't reflect sound.)

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention which is depicted in Fig. 1. Fig. 1 depicts an exemplary a smart ankle device according to one of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. In the present invention, the main focus is on the providing smart ankle band. The smart ankle band 100 comprising a plurality of ultrasonic obstacle detecting sensors 101, vibrator 102, speaker/audio output 103, a Bluetooth wireless transmitter 104, a GPS sensor 105, a plurality of electronic components 107, a rechargeable batteries 109, a socket for charging battery 106, and a switch 108. The plurality of ultrasonic obstacle detecting sensors 101 are placed on the smart ankle band 100 in such a way that it should cover the almost 360 degree view of the surroundings for the user. The user can be visually impaired person, a blind person, a sport person, a mountaineer, or a normal person. The ultrasonic obstacle detecting sensors are collecting the data and sending those data to the microcontroller. The microcontroller then processes all the views received from the different ultrasonic obstacle detecting sensors and then transmits alert message(s) to the vibrator and/or speaker/audio device. The ultrasonic detecting sensors are able to track different types of obstacles in the various directions, such as slanted, vertical and ground level. The ultrasonic detectors are also capable of analyzing the depth and pits of the obstacle. The vibrator is started vibrating and simultaneously, the audio message is also starts. The user then understands that there are some obstacles around in the vicinity. The smart ankle band also comprises Bluetooth wireless transmitter, which can transfer the obstacles data to the mobile object devices. These data can be further track and analyze by storing on the cloud server via the mobile object device. The mobile object device can be placed anywhere with the user. The smart ankle band further comprises GPS sensor, which can help in tracking the user's exact location, which can further be communicated with the mobile object device. The smart ankle band includes rechargeable batteries, which can be charge by plugging the ankle band with any electrical sources. The smart ankle band further comprises the plurality of electronic components, such as Arduino nano, a microcontroller, a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, and an image analyzer. The smart ankle band provides the information, if the object is approaching the wearer by analyzing the distance image and the infrared image, issues a prompt and indicates a direction to remind the wearer to pay attention to safety, and the information output device includes a pressure sensor and / or temperature

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sensor, these two sensors can achieve the same effect by stimulating the wearer respectively. In addition, the device can also guide the wearer by means of vibration sensing. The Arduino nano with the help of other electronic components and other elements of the smart ankle band collects image information from the device in real time and simultaneously collects sounds around the wearer and transmits them to the guardian via wireless wifi and Bluetooth signals, and performs image transmission and/or voice between the guardian and the device wearer.

The smart ankle band is capable of detecting obstacles and transforming image information and details for visually impaired person, for deaf-blind person, for sport person, for mountaineer. The method of detecting obstacles and transforming such information to the wearer or user is explained briefly. The user, who can be either visually impaired person, the deaf-blind person, or sport person, wears the device on his/her ankle. The user turns ON the device by pressing the button. The smart ankle band is powered by the rechargeable batteries. The user starts moving. The ultrasonic detection sensors of the smart ankle band starts walking. The ultrasonic sensors are gathering information related to the surrounding. The ultrasonic sensors are capable of collecting the information, such as presence, level, position, distance, light, smoke, dust, color, material, of the surroundings. The information communicates to the wearer via their mobile device or via audio output. The Arduino nano integrates sophisticated programming and algorithms which is capable of transforming such information into either audio or digital information. The user then can hear the information received. The information will be such that it will alert the user that what different types of objects are around and how far distance they are from the user's position. This information will help the user to move safely and avoid any type of collision with the obstacles. The smart ankle band also comprises buzzer in case of any alert or emergency. Further, the smart ankle band may include at least one of a wi fi drive, a Bluetooth drive, an RF drive or the like which is communicatively coupled with other IOT device or mobile devices.

It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. For example, the above-discussed embodiments may be used in combination with each other. Many other embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description.

The benefits and advantages which may be provided by the present invention have been described above with regard to specific embodiments. These benefits and advantages, and

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any elements or limitations that may cause them to occur or to become more pronounced are not to be construed as critical, required, or essential features of any or all of the embodiments.

While the present invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it should be understood that the embodiments are illustrative and that the scope of the invention is not limited to these embodiments. Many variations, modifications, additions and improvements to the embodiments described above are possible. It is contemplated that these variations, modifications, additions and improvements fall within the scope of the invention.

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Claims

Atty. doc. No.AMITK001-AUS-2020 CLAIMS We / I Claim:

1. A smart ankle band 100 for identifying nearest obstacles by a user comprising a plurality of ultrasonic obstacle detecting sensors 101, a vibrator 102, a speaker/audio output 103, a Bluetooth wireless transmitter 104, a GPS sensor 105, a plurality of electronic components 107, rechargeable batteries 109, a socket for charging battery 106, and a switch 108; Wherein said ultrasonic obstacle detecting sensors 101 are placed on the smart ankle band 100 in such a way that it should cover the almost 360 degree view of the surroundings; and Wherein said ultrasonic obstacle detecting sensors are also capable of analyzing the depth and pits of the obstacle and said ultrasonic obstacle detecting sensors are suitable for close range detection up to ten meters and provide multiple range measurements per second.

2. The smart ankle band 100 as claimed in claim 1, wherein said user comprising a visually impaired person, a deaf-blind person, a mountaineer, and a sport person.

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Applicants: Dr. Munesh Chandra Trivedi , Dr. Amit Kumar Agarwal, Ms. Dimple Chawla, Total Sheets : 1 Dr RajeshKumar Girish Kumar Maheta , Ms. Saumya Trivedi, Ms. Adhya Trivedi, Sheet no. 1 Mr. Vedansh Trivedi 09 Jan 2021 2021100117